COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Recruiting in Rural Areas
Black Hawk Lands in Soccer Field
Elizabeth Prata, Gray-New Gloucester Monument-News
June 1, 2006
It was not a scene you see everyday, a Black Hawk helicopter landing on a soccer field. But the visit was arranged by Gray-New Gloucester High School Assistant Principal Tim Richards and the high school students were definitely invited to climb aboard.Staff Sergeant Richard Campbell is a Gray/New Gloucester graduate and now serves in the U.S. Army National Guard in the 112th Air Ambulance Company. Campbell said that he had attended this high school, and when asked to choose locations to bring the aircraft, immediately thought of his alma mater. He said it was part of the multiple demonstrations the company was performing that day, with Westbrook High also on the list to visit. Above, The high school students gather around the huge aircraft. It landed on the inside of the track.
He was careful to avoid the word "recruitment," but others in the company confirmed that the exercise was part of the Army's recruitment and retention program.
"This Company flew in Iraq and had a perfect flight record. No soldiers lost, no helicopters down," said Campbell. "We're here to show the kids, because we are part of the community." Left, Staff Sergeant Richard Campbell is a former Gray/New Gloucester patriot and is currently an American patriot, serving in the US Army Reserves, and has been deployed in Iraq.
Korean War veteran Les Taylor was awed by the size of the aircraft. "Ours were half as short as this," Taylor said, expanding his arms against the $9 million craft.
In Korea, Taylor was part of the company that retrieved tank and blew up stray shells. He said that Korean villagers would spot the ordnance, identify locations for the soldiers, and Taylor was part of the team that discharged them. "The helos would land us, we'd set fuses to the stray shells, and then we'd run like hell." He said that he never saw a Black Hawk close up. "I pictured it being huge, but not this big."Below, Taylor.
The Black Hawk can hold six wounded plus four crew. It uses JP8 jet fuel and reaches a top air speed of 150 miles per hour. Sgt. Varney is the crew chief, and he explained that there are 15 Black Hawks in Maine. The craft is run by a crew chief, pilot, co-pilot and a medic.
Sgt. Chabot said that the demonstration gives the kids a chance to see the vessel hands on. "It's an opportunity they don't normally get. They see it on TV, but now they can see it up close."
Matt Ross is a freshman, and his brother, Specialist Michael Ross, is in Iraq. "He drives a Humvee," Ross said. Asked what he thinks of the helicopter, he said, "It's awesome!" Left, Matt Ross, a freshman, and to his right, Philip Bouchard, a junior. Matt's brother Specialist Michael Ross is currently serving in Iraq. "He's been there two months, he drives a Humvee," Matt said.
This year the U.S. military needs to recruit more than 330,000 Americans for its active and reserve units. The draft began in 1943 and was suspend in 1973, and America now relies on an all-volunteer force. The war in Iraq has caused a depletion of active military and a longer retention of those serving in the reserves, and as a result, recruitment quotas are rising higher and higher.
Elizabeth Hahnel, Dan Oliver, and Philip Bouchard all thought the machine was great, and when the bell rang to go back to class, the students shuffled slowly across the sunny lawn, eyes backward on the Army machine that had captivated their attention for the last hour. Right, Hahnel.
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